RWBY: Lessions learned
by Life's reward
Summary: Beacon has fallen, friends have been lost, and RWBY has been scattered. Each member has been forced to go their own ways, to learn their own lessons. Will they grow from the hardships they faced, or shrink under the pressure? (Post-volume 3)


_Hello everyone, I've been getting very excited for RWBY Volume 4 and realize that the release of this work is probably the worst time for me to start on this idea as it focuses on the events of RWBY going forward directly after the events of Volume 3. But I've been inspired by TheLastSonata and their Dissonance Trilogy, so I wanted to do a work of my own. That said I hope you enjoy this work. I will likely not be following the story of Volume 4, but I hope to stick fairly close to the original that has given me so much joy._

Weiss sprinted towards Beacon Tower with Ruby. The number of Grim in the area was growing at an alarming rate, as more continued to rain from the dragon now circling the tower. Suddenly her scroll began ringing.

"It's Jaune!" she exclaimed, coming to a halt and answering. "Where are you?"

"Weiss!" Jaune's voice sounded strained, "please you have to stop her!"

"What?" Weiss asked.

Ruby looked over at her confused.

"Pyrrha!" His voice broke, "She's going after that woman! A-at the top of the tower! She doesn't stand a chance!"

Weiss looked up at the Tower, worry rising she turned back to the scroll. "Jaune what are you talking about, where are you?"

"Don't worry about me!" Weiss jumped as Jaune yelled, yet the tone of defeat he had during his next word nearly crushed her. "Please." It wasn't a request. He was begging them. "You have to save Pyrrha."

"We will, are you okay?" Weiss asked concerned for him.

"Yeaaaahhhggg" The yell was one of pure anguish, of a man regretting everything that he was. And static filled the channel.

"Jaune? Jaune?" Weiss cried as the signal dropped. She looked to Ruby who had a similar expression of worry on her face.

Weiss jumped as the dragon flew overhead dropping more Grim around them.

"I have a plan." Ruby said her face set with determination.

"You always do." She said, sliding her scroll back into its pocket while drawing Myrtenaster.

Ruby took the lead sprinting towards the tower, "When we get to the elevators" She broke off leaping into a spin and cutting through a Creep that was running for them. "Can you hold the Grim off while I get Pyrrha?" She asked leaping behind Weiss.

Weiss read her partner's movements, channeling earth dust into Myrtenaster she parried the claw slashing down at her. The blow that would have sent her flying instead came to a dead stop. Creating a Glyph below her feet she leaped out of the way as Ruby came flying forward, Crescent Rose cutting cleanly through the beast. Weiss allowed herself a smile. She had grown so in sync with her team especially her partner over the year. They were her family, people she could trust, and would always have her back no matter what came up.

She looked at Ruby her voice rising. "No, we're going together."

"Alright let's go!" Ruby didn't say anything, but some of the tension appeared to have left her face.

She had come a long way when they first came together as a team Weiss had been unsure of how to act around her new friends. But now she couldn't imagine her life without them. Not being named team leader had cut deep, Winter had been the leader of her team. It was just one more example of how she was a failure. But Weiss decided that if Ozpin didn't name her leader, everyone would see what a perfect Huntress was. Even though she knew, she wasn't. When Ruby had tried to help her in class against the Boarbatusk, she had lashed out. Yelling and blaming Ruby, because it was so much easier than blaming herself. But Ruby hadn't fought back, she had tried to study to catch up with her, and accepted Weiss. When Blake had let slip the past she so wanted to forget, she hadn't known how to act, how to help her friend. It had been Ruby and Yang who had reached out to their friend and welcomed her back.

From her left, a growl snapped her back to the present. She and Ruby sprang apart as an Ursa crashed through the brush next to them. Its arm swung towards her, flipping away she caught sight of Ruby taking aim down the barrel of her gun. Landing on her feet Weiss let the momentum of the landing take her to into a kneeling position. Placing her hand on the pavement, she focused on the ground beneath the Ursa, the black crest of her family sprang to life at its feet. The grim fought to move, but the strength of the pull was too great to break free.

Its head exploded as the gunshot echoed around the buildings. Nodding to Ruby they headed off again. Weiss eyed the tower. She hoped the elevators were still working, or else they wouldn't be getting up a tower that tall.

As if the world had heard her, the dragon took off from its perch on the tower flying not in another circle but straight through the building. Debris rained down, and her body acted on instinct a glyph appeared above her blocking the stray boulder that was flying towards her as another glyph appeared in front of her and Ruby. Weiss leaped onto the glyph pushing off, propelling herself away from the deadly rain.

She stood up surveying the entrance. Rocks covered every inch. No chance to reach the elevators now.

The roar to her left signaled another Ursa was charging her, taking advantage of her distraction. Ducking under its strike Weiss spun to gather moment and rising to a standing position she slashed the Ursa in the neck. Hearing the unmistakable crunch of Ruby's scythe embedding in the ground, Weiss knew she had cleaved through a foe of her own.

"We've got to hurry." Ruby said pulling the heavy weapon from the pavement with ease.

Weiss looked around panic rising. It would take too long to try and get to the elevators now. Then a thought struck her. She just hoped she could create enough glyphs to pull it off. She could feel fatigue rising, and the last time she did this she had collapsed. And just like before she would force Ruby to finish the job that she was unable to.

Drawing her arm back and pointing Myrtenaster towards the tower a glyph appeared in front of her. Straining she focused on the tower and began channeling energy into regular intervals up the tower. Glyphs sprang to life all the way up the side. Lowering her hands, she kept a tight focus on the glyphs making sure they didn't vanish.

"You can do this."

Ruby only set her face and vanished, red petals fluttering in the wind she had created. Her red cape streaking across the ground between them and the tower, pausing for a split second before leaping onto the glyphs. And she was gone vanishing up the side of the tower.

Weiss bent over, hands on her knees. It had been exhausting, but nothing like last time.

Alone, Weiss looked around surveying the Grim again. While the beast that created them was unimaginably old, these Grim looked and behaved as young Grim should according to her books. To call these Grim intelligent would have been an insult to animals. Some Grim were leaping upon bushes that rustled in the wind, but finding no pray, they would claw their way out, only to jump upon the same bush moments later.

Only two creeps approaching her were any threat. She waited to see what they would do. Slowly they crept closer, and Weiss slid into the position she had been assumed so many times it was as familiar to her as walking. Both feet rested perfectly below her shoulders, knees slightly bent, weight perfectly balanced in the middle. They charged from her front and right.

With her right hand she flicked a glyph into life below the feet of the one to her right, it roared as it flew into the air. Her mind was clear, and this was something she had practiced a hundred times. Leaping over the attack of Grim in front of her, Weiss created a glyph in the air, landing on it and pushing off driving Myrtenaster through the beast. Landing in a crouch as the grim dissolved into smoke she stood Myrtenaster drawn back while pointing at the grim still in the air. A black glyph sent it flying towards her, thrusting forward she allowed the force of gravity and her glyph to do the rest of the work as the sword slid cleanly into its chest.

Panting slightly Weiss looked around, no more Grim in the immediate area, now to think about how to get Ruby and Pyrrha down from the tower. Perhaps she could call Sun, have him bring a team to help her move the rubble blocking the entrance.

Reaching for her scroll the world began to fade. All around her, the color disappeared from the world, but it didn't stop there, white filled the world, even the outlines of the world had vanished. The world was just a sea of white, never-ending, all-consuming. Am I blind? She always thought the world would be black, not white, but what did she know.

Then the sound of the grim howling bombarded her senses. Panic filled her, without her sight it would be impossible to defend herself. Dropping to a crouch and driving Myrtenaster into the ground she created small ice walls around her. Forcing aura into her eyes, willing them to recover, but there was nothing to fix. Slowly color returned to the world, and the light receded. Weiss looked around for the source only to freeze in her movements.

The Grim were running, fighting against each other to leave the area. Usra were throwing Creeps and Beowolfs aside as they made for the fastest path away from the tower. Looking up Weiss could see the light receding to the top. "Ruby!" The panic she had felt for her life now seemed minuscule in comparison to what she now felt. Her friends were up there, and she would not fail them again, she would be there for them.

Gathering her energy, a glyph at her feet propelled her into the air. At the very apex of her jump, another appeared, not losing any height Weiss crouched again and leaped. Again, and again, her eyes never leaving the top of the tower. It didn't feel like she was getting any closer, but below her, the ground was shrinking with alarming speed.

Finally, the top came into sight, and she almost fell. Heaps of twisted metal were scattered around the edges as though something in the center of the tower had exploded, and at the side of the tower standing over Ruby's splayed out form was the woman. Creating one more glyph she leaped forward landing on the tower, "Back away!" She screamed. The woman appeared surprised at the appearance of another. Jumping backward the woman brought her weapons up but stumbled, fatigue etched in every line of her body, her arms shook from holding her weapons. Weiss lashed out. She had to defeat this woman.

It was too easy, catching the weak part of the woman's blades she threw first one then the second to the side. Instead of looking worried the woman smiled raising her hand. Fire flew from the woman at her. Spinning out of the way, she responded creating glyphs to shoot several ice crystals at her attacker. The first few had evaporated before they had even finished forming, but as Weiss created more, they began to strike the woman. At first bouncing off her aura, but that didn't last long as tiny ice shards began to sink into parts of the woman's skin.

Collapsing to her knee, the woman looked up at Weiss, and Weiss froze. Cinder, who had been welcomed by Beacon, the woman Ruby had wanted to befriend. "You, why?" she asked.

Cinder smiled looking up at her, "Foolish girl this was just the first move." Her hand moved, and Weiss acted instinctively. Spinning before planting Myrtenaster into the ground ice shot forward to meet the jet of flame from Cinder. She could feel the two elements battling. Attempting to gain control of the other, assert its dominance when the resistance vanished. Looking up Cinder had disappeared, looking around she saw no sign of Cinder. Her eye caught sight of another figure unmoving in the same position as when she first saw her. Running over to Ruby, Weiss scooped her head into her lap. She began to rock Ruby. Her mind was frozen, she didn't know what to do. "Ruby, Ruby! Ruby, please wake up!"

Ruby didn't respond. She was cold, limp. Weiss panicked, this couldn't be happening. All thought had left her. Focusing her aura she began to push it into Ruby, again Weiss cried, "Ruby please!"

Something pressed on her arm. It didn't matter she had failed, and Ruby had been counting on her to be there for her as she had for Weiss countless times. But Weiss hadn't been there. She had failed Ruby.

Another touch on her other arm and she vaguely felt herself being moved, through the fog of her mind she heard words that made no sense. "Come on princess, there we go." A warmth settled over her shoulders. She clung to it, despite the fact a smile slid onto her face. It was Ruby's cape. Ruby was there for her just as she always was. She dug her fingers in the cloth, fingers running along its surface pausing at the occasional holes that allowed the chill of the night to pass.

Weiss looked down. Something wasn't right. The cape was red, but it was torn and tattered. Weiss's head snapped up. It was not Ruby sitting next to her, but someone else. He was leaning over Ruby his hands moving from her head to her arm and chest, and back to her head. Weiss sat in shock. It was Ruby's uncle. But how? When? She looked around, roving over the pieces of metal that looked as though they had been thrown around by a child, her eyes settled on a spot several feet away from them.

The scorched ground, super-heated black except for two marks, the shape of someone's legs and lying in-between them. Weiss felt tears come to her eyes. She had failed. Despite all her efforts. All her training, studying, everything, it was all worthless.

A hand on her shoulder caused her to jump. She looked up to see Qrow standing one hand on her shoulder. "Alright princess, come on there's time for that later." He took his cape from her shoulders and dabbed her tears away before throwing it back over his shoulders. He met her eyes.

He was still blurry in her vision, but his calm poise seemed to radiate into her. He nodded, "Ruby's alive she's in shock, but alive. She pushed her aura to a level beyond what she is capable of right now, and her body is attempting to cope with the results of that."

Weiss nodded standing as well. She wiped the tears from her eyes. "And Pyrrha?" She knew the answer without having to ask, but she still did.

Qrow didn't even look around, somehow he already knew, he shook his head.

Weiss didn't cry out, didn't hold herself. She didn't even shed a tear. She looked into his blank, emotionless face and knew now was not the time.

He smiled, "Well Princess, it's time you ask yourself a simple question. Are you willing to go forward?" He indicated the wreckage around him, "Are you prepared to lead the life of a huntress?" he finished picking up Phyrra's crown.

She stood there, and she knew what she should say. Yes absolutely. But could she? A fresh wave of sadness struck her, rolled over and threatened to consume her. But she stood firm, meeting Qrow's eyes. It was clear to her he wouldn't think less of her if she said no. Opening her mouth Weiss spoke the word that would cause her unimaginable pain, but ensure she could call herself a huntress. "Yes."

The smile slid from his face. "Then you know this is not the end. You know where you need to go?"

The words echoed through her head as she looked out the window of the Schnee company jet. Turning her head to see her father sitting across from her, she turned back to the window. He had come to take her home where he thought she would be safe, but she knew the truth. Nowhere was safe, she could no longer afford to be a young girl, a huntress in training. The world was dangerous. She had been forced to grow, become a huntress with one goal, to protect those who could not protect themselves.

 _So that's that!_

 _I hope you enjoyed my take on the fall of Beacon and the resulting aftermath._

 _I'm not the greatest writer so any and all feedback would be fantastic. I have some ideas where to take this and some themes I want to include, but I'm not sure if I was too heavy handed with them, or if I should push them off for a later time._

 _I'd love any and all feedback._

 _Thank you all for your time, and always remember. "Keep moving forward."_


End file.
